Chapter 131: An Alternate Space, Three Scrolls
The expressions of Danzo and the others darkened slightly. They naturally understood that Hiruzen Sarutobi would not joke at a time like this.
However, they had no knowledge whatsoever of the contingency left behind by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
As the true upper echelon of the Hidden Leaf, the fact that there were still secrets within the village that they did not know was an undeniable blow to Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.
"This matter is something only successive Hokage are qualified to know," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly, sensing the gazes behind him.
With those words, the mouths of the three were instantly stopped.
Danzo and the others still looked grim, but they had nothing they could say. If only the Hokage was permitted to know, then they indeed lacked the qualification.
Suddenly, Danzo seemed to think of something and shifted his gaze toward Jiraiya. His expression grew even darker.
Their pace was quick, and it did not take long before they arrived beneath the Hokage Office Building.
"How could the First Hokage's contingency be left in a place like the Hokage Office Building?" Koharu Utatane frowned as she spoke.
As the central hub of the Hidden Leaf, countless people entered and exited the Hokage Office Building every day. If there truly were secrets here, they should have been discovered long ago.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer Koharu Utatane. Instead, he turned to Jiraiya. "Take out what I gave you, and use the sealing hand signs I taught you."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's words fell, the corner of Danzo's eye twitched uncontrollably.
Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, then a bitter smile appeared on his face. He had already harbored some suspicions.
But after what the old man had just said, it seemed that he truly intended to make him the next Hokage.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiraiya could not help glancing at Tsunade beside him, only to meet her gaze directly.
He hurriedly withdrew his eyes. In Jiraiya's heart, compared to himself, Tsunade was unquestionably the best candidate to become Hokage.
Jiraiya took out an object resembling a key from his clothes and casually inserted it into the door handle of the Hokage Office Building.
Immediately after, he formed seals rapidly with both hands in a special pattern, his hands turning into a blur in the blink of an eye.
"The contingency left behind by the First Hokage was not placed inside the Hokage Office Building, but within a small alternate space located here. This key, along with the sealing hand signs, is the key to opening that alternate space," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly.
"Then why insert the key into the door handle? And what if the Hokage Building is destroyed by enemies?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow and could not help asking.
"Ahem. Whether the Hokage Office Building exists or not does not actually matter. The key's function is merely to anchor the coordinates of that alternate space," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained with a light cough.
While Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi were speaking, Jiraiya had already completed the hand signs.
At the same time, a unique energy fluctuation spread out from the key.
In the next moment, everyone felt that the door before them had undergone some indescribable change, though on the surface it looked no different at all.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took the lead and stepped forward, as if unable to see the door, crashing straight into it and disappearing entirely.
The others were stunned for a moment. Before Jiraiya could react, Danzo followed closely behind, shouldering Jiraiya aside as he rushed in.
Jiraiya: "..."
When everyone came back to their senses, they realized that they had already appeared inside an alternate space that was not particularly large.
The entire space was only about twenty square meters, small and extremely empty.
As their gazes swept over the area, they immediately saw three large scrolls standing upright at the center of the space.
Two of the scrolls were placed at the very center, while the remaining one was set off to the side, as if it had been placed there casually.
Among the two scrolls positioned in the center, one of them was nearly one meter tall.
"So these are the contingencies Grandpa left behind back then?" Tsunade said as she looked at the three scrolls. As she sensed that familiar chakra, her eyes could not help but redden slightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others also stared blankly at the three scrolls, swallowing unconsciously.
Although they did not know what was contained within the scrolls, the chakra leaking from them alone was enough to make their hearts tremble.
"Old man, you have never been here before?" Jiraiya asked curiously upon seeing the surprised look on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
"No. Back then, my teacher Tobirama specifically instructed that unless it was absolutely unavoidable, the methods here were never to be used. That is because the two scrolls in the center were left to deal with a single person," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a low voice.
If the situation were not truly critical, he would never have come here.
"Who?" Tsunade asked in confusion.
"The First Mizukage, Yuto," Jiraiya said slowly, as if he had suddenly realized something, before Hiruzen Sarutobi could answer.
As that name was spoken, the space instantly fell silent. Everyone present knew that man had not died.
"The two scrolls in the center were left to deal with that person back then. So what is the one placed to the side for?" Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"That scroll was an art casually left behind when the First Hokage and my teacher Tobirama were researching contingencies. We came here to retrieve that technique," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly.
After saying this, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over to the scroll placed at the edge, gently cradled it in his arms, and returned to the others.
"Danzo, you cannot touch the remaining two scrolls, nor are you allowed to. Unless the First Mizukage appears in the ninja world again, even if the Hidden Leaf is destroyed, those two scrolls must not be used," Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he stared fixedly at Danzo, his tone carrying a trace of threat and killing intent.
"You… stubborn!" Danzo spat out three words angrily, his schemes having been seen through.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not look at Danzo. Instead, he turned toward Tsunade, a gentle expression appearing on his face. "Tsunade, the necklace left behind by the First Hokage back then is still with you, correct?"
Although he phrased it as a question, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze had already settled on Tsunade's neck.
A vein pulsed on Tsunade's forehead. If not for the seriousness on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, she would have already raised her fist.
"What about Grandpa's keepsake?" Tsunade asked.
Lowering her head to glance at the necklace hanging from her neck, Tsunade's voice carried a hint of unease.
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